Joe Barnett

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.               —Psalm 139:1 Do you get the feeling that no one really knows you? They know your name, but not your needs; your face, but not your feelings; your history, but not your heart. Do you have […]

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works.           —Titus 2:7 If you’ve seen Chariots of Fire you know the inspiring story of Eric Liddell, who broke the world record and won the gold in the 400-meter competition in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Here’s the rest of

Let’s take a break and get a little rest.                      —Mark 6:3 Tommy Manning, a former member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team, advises athletes and exercise buffs to schedule rest days. “Rest is essential to recovery from rigorous training,” he says. When a team has

Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.         —James 3:5 On September 1, 1666, sparks from smoldering embers in Thomas Farrinor’s bakery oven ignited stacked firewood and set the building on fire. The flames quickly spread to nearby warehouses packed with flammable inventory. Soon London was

Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others.      —1 Peter 4:10 You pulled it from the clothes rack; then put it back. Picked another one . . . and another. “Hmm, this one’s nice.” Another . . . and another. Then back to Hmm. Another.  And back to Hmm.

Here your proud waves must stop.                          —Job 38:11 England’s King Canute sat in his royal chair at the ocean’s edge and allegedly said to the rising tide, “You are subject to me . . . I command you, therefore, not to rise on

He who believes in me has everlasting life.   —John 6:47 Peter Thiel racked up a fortune when he sold PayPal to eBay. He and other tech titans—founders of Google, Facebook, eBay, Napster, and Netscape—are investing billions to fast-track biomedical research. They’re backing scientists like Cynthia Kenyon, a molecular biologist who attracted attention by doubling

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith.   —Ephesians 2:8 Jesus insisted on absolute perfection: “You must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Mt 5:48). And he offered absolute grace: “It is by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:8). “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor

The earth is full of your riches.             —Psalm 104:24 From the kitchen table in my parents’ Fort Worth home, a large window artistically framed a beautiful backyard oak tree. My mother loved that tree. She was in her 90s when we were having coffee and watching the sun do

Stop judging by mere appearances.                     —John 7:24 Tom Hamilton raises sheep in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. He patrols his farm in his truck, with Don, his border collie, sitting beside him. One morning Tom hopped out of the truck to rescue a lost lamb—but failed to